The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

As a result of Gu Ruinian's involvement, Wu Ji Shop's business plummeted.

It's like falling a thousand feet to the bottom of a valley, the kind of fall from which you might never be able to climb back up.

For several days in a row, no one stepped into the door.

Whether it was lowering the price or offering a free grill with the purchase of a pot, not a single order came in.

Wu Ren's face was so dark it looked like you could squeeze water out of it.

Gu Youtian was so angry that he wished he could kick Gu Ruinian's left leg to pieces as well.

With Wu Ji's business so bad, and Old Master Gu and others doing nothing in the shop, Wu Ji couldn't possibly support so many idle people.

Wu Ren's words implied that he wanted to send them away, so Grandpa Gu planned to wait until the splint on Ruinian's leg was removed before he and Grandma Gu took Ruinian home. Jia Shi and Gu Fengnian would go back with them, but Gu Youtian would not go back, as he wanted to try to save Wu Ji.

After all, Wu Ji was his only chance at the moment, and he was unwilling to let Wu Ji close down and go bankrupt.

Jufulai, located opposite Wuji, is still thriving.

Gu Honglian still went to Tong Huaqiong's place every morning to tell her about the Gu family's old house and the second branch of the family.

After Gu Honglian left that day, Madam Wei came to the door.

The visit by the Wei family was arranged by Old Master Gu, who said it was on behalf of the old family to thank Gu Dashu and Gu Baishuang for their help in finding out about Gu Ruinian.

Gu Baishuang and Gu Dashu didn't take this matter to heart at all.

Tong Huaqiong sneered. Old Master Gu had sent Wei to ease the tension between the two sides. He knew that Tong Huaqiong had no grudge against Wei and had always given Wei some face.

Wei saw that Tong Huaqiong looked embarrassed.

Ever since her attempt to get Tong Huaqiong to invite her to work at Peach Blossom Dessert Shop was ruthlessly exposed by Tong Huaqiong, she has never visited Tong Huaqiong's door again.

Compared to the second wife's family, Wei had a greater sense of shame; she was too ashamed to face Tong Huaqiong.

Of course, she didn't come today entirely because Old Master Gu sent her; she came of her own volition.

“Auntie, Fengnian and I are going home in the next few days. Fengnian doesn’t have a knack for business, and he won’t find good work in Pingchuan County. It’s better for him to go back to Qinghewan and live a stable life. After the autumn harvest this year, I will propose to divide the family property. After we separate, we will lease a few acres of land. I’m good with my hands, so I can do embroidery and sell it. We can make a good living.” Wei told Tong Huaqiong about her plans to return to Qinghewan.

Tong Huaqiong had nothing to say about this.

It's a good thing that Wei and Gu Fengnian can live a peaceful life without causing trouble.

Wei was not entirely muddle-headed.

Since she has excellent embroidery skills, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let her work at Tong Huaqiong's embroidery workshop when it opens in the fall.

However, Tong Huaqiong did not intend to tell her at this time, since the Wei family and the second branch of the family had not yet separated.

Without separating, they are all considered "enemies".

A few days later, village chief Liu Tielian and Gu's second uncle, the younger brother of Grandpa Gu, came to Pingchuan County.

It is said that after the Xu family learned that Xu Zaohua and Gu Ruinian had an affair and were locked up in the family temple by the Zheng family, all that awaited her was a life of seclusion and Buddhist practice. The Xu family dared not confront the Zheng family, so they stormed into the Gu family's old house and vandalized it.

Not only that, Xu Zaohua's father, Xu Jin, led all the Xu family members to the Gu family patriarch's house, demanding an explanation from the Gu family patriarch, and threatening to hand over Gu Ruinian to the Xu family for punishment.

Liu Tielian, as the village chief, managed to temporarily quell the matter. Then, he and Uncle Gu went to Pingchuan to give Old Master Gu and the others a heads-up and discuss how to handle the situation.

Liu Tielian was worried that if Gu Ruinian returned to the village and the Xu family rioted and killed someone, he, as the village chief, would be held responsible.

Magistrate Liu has stated that the death penalty is not permitted in villages.

Liu Tielian and Uncle Gu first went to Jufulai to find Tong Huaqiong, firstly to confirm whether the matter of Xu Zaohua and Gu Ruinian was true, and secondly to ask Tong Huaqiong for advice on how to quell the anger of the Xu family.

Upon arriving at Jufulai, before they could even meet Tong Huaqiong and confirm the matter with her, they heard the whispers of customers. As the most popular shopping spot in Pingchuan, Jufulai was a hub for gossip in the county. The affair between Gu Ruinian and Xu Zaohua had been trending on social media for the past few days. Uncle Gu almost fainted from anger upon hearing the discussions about Gu Ruinian and Xu Zaohua's affair.

Unfilial grandnephew, you good-for-nothing, you have disgraced the Gu family.

When Tong Huaqiong saw Magistrate Liu's mother off, she saw Liu Tielian and Uncle Gu loitering at the door.

"Village Chief, Second Uncle, what brings you here?"

Tong Huaqiong, with a look of delight, invited the person into the house.

Liu Tielian then told Tong Huaqiong his purpose, and Uncle Gu Er was so angry that his face turned ashen and he remained silent.

"You know what a mess this is, Ruinian is really confused. Dashu's mother, what should we do? The Xu family wants Gu Ruinian dead now." Liu Tielian wiped the sweat from his face, drank a pot of plum juice, and told Tong Huaqiong about how the Xu family had smashed up the old house and wanted Gu Ruinian dead.

Gu Ruinian, as a villager of Qinghewan, felt ashamed that such a thing happened to him, even as the village chief.

"I can't say for sure about this. You should ask the old man for advice," Tong Huaqiong said.

Gu Ruinian isn't her son, so it's none of her business.

The village chief was also confused and even asked her for advice.

Xu Jin was never someone to be trifled with; he was always looking to take advantage of others. Now that he had lost a daughter and his powerful in-laws, the Zheng family, how could they possibly let Gu Ruinian go?

Tong Huaqiong took Liu Tielian and Uncle Gu to Wuji.

When Wu Ren saw Tong Huaqiong arrive, he snorted. Tong Huaqiong rolled her eyes at him, saying, "If you can't win the business, you'll be so angry."

Upon entering the house, Gu Youtian was not there; only Old Master Gu and others were present.

When Uncle Gu saw Gu Ruinian lying on the bed with his legs strapped to his back, he was so angry that he wanted to punch him a few times.

When Gu Ruinian saw Tong Huaqiong enter, his eyes instantly flashed with hatred.

His plan failed, thanks in part to Tong Huaqiong.

Tong Huaqiong said with a smile, "Ruinian is lucky; he managed to come out unscathed."

Anyway, Gu Ruinian is just a grasshopper in autumn, he poses no threat to her, so she can mock him however she wants.

Under Tong Huaqiong's intense gaze, Gu Ruinian finally gave in and turned his head away.

After Liu Tielian and Uncle Gu sat down, Liu recounted what had happened in the village, which made Old Master Gu furious.

While they were away, Xu Jin ransacked his house.

Old Mrs. Gu's eyes stung with anger as she cried and cursed, "Village Chief, Second Uncle, this isn't Ruinian's fault. It was that slut Xu Zaohua who seduced him. How old is Ruinian? He's never even held a woman's hand in his life. How could he resist a widow like Xu Zaohua who longs for a man?"

Liu Tielian looked embarrassed, while Uncle Gu's face darkened.

Jia followed her mother-in-law in cursing, saying, "The Xu family raised such a fine daughter who ruined my son. I haven't even settled accounts with Xu Jin yet. What right do they have to come to our door?"

Jia wished she could return to Qinghe Bay, pick up a knife, and fight Xu Jin's entire family.

Ruinian's legs were crippled, disqualifying her from holding office. She had no hope left and no longer wanted to live.

Uncle Gu couldn't help but say, "Yes, yes, it was all Xu Zaohua who seduced Ruinian. If Ruinian had any self-control, how could he have been seduced by Xu Zaohua? Did Xu Zaohua take off Ruinian's pants or pin him to the bed? Don't blame Xu Zaohua. I think this is all the result of you spoiling Ruinian too much. Ruinian has been looking down on people all day since he returned to Qinghewan. I know Ruinian's thoughts very well. He thinks the village is poor and that the Gu family has no support. He wants to climb the social ladder. If he didn't want to get benefits from Zaohua, how could he have fallen for her?"

Ultimately, Ruinian's misconduct led to this disaster.

Uncle Gu's words made Old Master Gu look extremely embarrassed.

Liu Tielian remained calm and collected. He had wanted to say this for a long time, but he was hesitant to speak up because of Grandpa Gu's seniority. It was fortunate that Uncle Gu spoke first, saving him the trouble of finding the right words. (End of Chapter)